There are known various devices and methods for correcting ingrowing foot nails, most typically toe nails.
A Chinese utility model CN20082012494U presents an ingrown nail double-hook correction device, formed by a steel wire with certain length, wherein the two ends of the steel wire are respectively provided with an ingrown nail hook; two ingrown nail hooks are positioned at the front end of the correction device and are arranged side by side; and the back end of the correction device is a closed-type straight line or a closed-type arc-shaped line.
In turn, the device for correcting ingrowing toenails known from a German patent application DE4207797 consists of two short lengths of wire. Each length of wire has a hook formed at each end. The wires are placed on the surface of the nail with one of the hooked ends of each wire fitting under the edge of one side of the toe nail. The two wires are then fastened to each other by a third wire or by a thread made of plastics. This third wire or thread passes around the hooks at the free ends of the two wires and at the same time holds them to the toe nail.
The instrument for correcting ingrowing toenails known from the German patent application has a component placed on the toenail surface. A nickel-titanium alloy can be used as the material. Alternatively it can consist of wire or strip. It can comprise a holding portion secured to the nail and securing a correcting one which acts on the nail in the correcting direction.
Another correcting device for ingrowing toenails is known from a Japanese patent application JP2010172687. It includes a flat-forming part sliding to a nail fold part deformed by ingrowing nail into a curved shape to correct the ingrown nail to an almost flattened nail shape and a correction-acting part which obtains correction action by securing the ingrown nail after further sliding a correction-acting member and inserting the ingrown nail almost flattened by the flat-forming part into a gap.
A French patent application FR2639219 describes a device for correcting nail deformities, which comprises a T-shaped part which is adjustably attached to support and has curved arms in which corrective element is removably mounted. Each part of the corrective element is bent inwards to form a groove so that the two parts may be fixed over the side edges of the nail.
A US patent application U.S. Pat. No. 1,917,794 presents a finger tip and nail shaper, which has tip shaper of channel formation open at its inner end with the outer end closed by an arched and curved wall, curved spring arms carried by the channel member for attaching the same to a finger tip and a nail shaper supported by said curved spring arms.
The devices described above are configured for mounting on the nail and for carrying on the toe for a long time, lasting typically for several weeks, which is highly problematic and uncomfortable for the user.
It would be advantageous to provide a device and method for cosmetic correction of ingrown nails, which would allow quicker and easier correction of nail.